Editor's Note

The Charge

You are holding in your hand a great secret of the universe.

The Case

When Rhonda Byrne hit the lowest point of her life, her daughter handed her a
copy of Wallace Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich, a 1910 book written
for coal miners looking to improve their station in life. The concepts so
inspired her that she began a quest to fully understand its potential and absorb
all similar teachings traversing all the way back to the Emerald Tablet in 3000
BC. Drawing upon the teachings of some of the world's greatest authors,
inventors, philosophers, and spiritual leaders, all of whose lives were rooted
firmly in The Secret, Rhonda joined forces with producer Paul Harrington
and director Drew Heriot to conceive The Secret as a synergizing of
voluminous historical evidence, updated and energized by 21st century thought
leaders.

Now, before we go any further, let me preface this by saying the potential
audience for The Secret hold three different mindsets—those whose
minds are open and receptive to having their belief systems challenged, those
who are skeptical but willing to listen, and those who firmly believe they know
how the world works and anyone who challenges those beliefs is a con artist. If
you fall into that last camp, you can stop reading right now. This DVD is not
for you. For everyone else, let's look at the concepts contained within.

We've all had strange experiences in life—thinking of someone and a
minute later they call, getting good news just exactly when you needed it,
riding high on an extended winning streak. Most write it off as mere coincidence
or luck. The Secret affirms there is much more to it than that. Each of
us possesses a series of filters we strap on every morning. When your mind is
operating in a positive state, generating good feelings, our eyes are opened to
all the wondrous things that surround us—the love of family and friends, a
passion for our work, smiles from complete strangers, heightened awareness to
sights, sounds, tastes, and smells. On the other hand, when your mind is in a
negative state, giving off nothing but bad energy, our eyes see only anger,
frustration, and despair—antagonizing neighbors, infuriating family
members, horrible traffic, unsatisfying work, fear and mistrust of strangers,
sleeplessness, a lack of energy, and unhealthy life habits. What most people
fail to realize is that at any given moment, we have complete control over our
mindset. It's a choice to be positive or negative. The Secret and its
experts want to help teach you to make the positive choice. It's a process of
empowerment and retraining. To some it will come easy. Others will have to work
at it. But regardless of where you're at in your life, a shift in your thinking,
becoming grateful for what you have on a daily basis, will change your world for
the better.

Consider the infinite power of the human mind. History has proven time and
again that people can move mountains and overcome insurmountable odds simply by
putting their minds to it. This is not just new age hocus-pocus. This is not
just wishful thinking. This is the force of the human spirit at work. To tap
into it requires faith, dedication, and a conscious choice to focus on
everything good in life. Medical physicians, NASA scientists, quantum
physicists, and survivors share their stories of what some might call miracles.
Tales of healing and life changing circumstances show that the enemy is not
without, but within. Energy flows, where attention goes. By focusing on fighting
disease, fighting debt, fighting each other, and fighting our own thoughts keeps
us in a state of fear and lack. It's a self-fulfilling downward spiral, one that
we can pull out of at any given time. All you have to do is want it…really
want it. This isn't something you can think of once and set it aside. This is a
whole new way of thinking you must embrace and live each and every day.

I know the skeptic in you may be saying, "This is crap." If
everyone could achieve or receive everything they wanted in life, we'd implode.
There are not enough resources to sustain complete peace, happiness, and
self-actualization. The experts here wholeheartedly disagree. There's more than
enough prosperity to go around. This isn't limited to a certain segment of the
population. Everyone can participate. This isn't something you have to purchase
expensive equipment or pay a substantial monthly fee to be apart of. This isn't
a cult where you have to drink the Kool-Aid or give up who you are to benefit
from. All you need do is commit to opening your sense of self awareness, to be
grateful for what you have, to laugh, to love, to pursue a life worthy of your
talents, skills, abilities, and dreams. Get that dream job. Establish a loving
relationship. Follow your passion. Enjoy life. Create magic. Leap and the net
will appear.

"We're really now moving into a new era. It's the era where the last
frontier is not space, as Star Trek would say, but it's going to be
mind."—Fred Alan Wolf, PhD (Quantum Physicist)

"You were born to add something, to add value to this world, to simply
be the best that you can be. Every single thing that you've been through, every
single moment that you've come through, were to all prepare you for this moment,
right now. You are the creator of your destiny."—Lisa Nichols
(Teacher, Author)

"There's something magnificent about you. Regardless of what has
happened to you in your life, the moment you begin to think properly, there's
power within you that will begin to emerge. It will take over your life. It will
feed you. It will clothe you. It will guide you, protect you, direct you,
sustain your very existence, if you let it."—Reverend Dr. Michael
Beckwith (Teacher, Spiritual Leader)

Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, The Secret's production
values are on par with the best that the Discovery Channel or History Channel
have to offer. The bulk of the program is made up of shared wisdom from 23
diverse teachers (talking heads) who come from all walks of life. Some will
resonate with you more than others, but all have something valuable to share.
Between these segments are event recreations and visual anecdotes to intrigue
and inspire. The effects wizards have enhanced every frame of these 91 minutes.
The Dolby 5.1 surround mix can be likened to a premiere Disney theme park
attraction—stimulating, reflective, and emotionally charged. Even if you
disagree with what's being said—and there are those who will find reason
to—you won't be bored.

The Secret: Extended Edition is enhanced with bonus materials that
include a behind the scenes featurette, a deleted sequence, a summary overview,
and outtakes, as well as an audio commentary track from producer Paul Harrington
and executive producer Rhonda Byrne (which bears no connection to what's being
shown on screen, but rather is a spirited discussion on the origins of the show
and the path they took in creating it). The original version of the film,
released in 2006, is currently out of print. The difference between the two is
the absence of author Esther Hicks, whose book Ask and it is Given was
source material for The Secret. The decision to remove Esther from the
project was her own, based on a discomfort with the multi-tiered marketing
machine being built around subsequent DVD and book releases. It is this very
business plan that may ultimately undermine the message and prove the undoing
for The Secret. Visiting the official web site will show links to each of
the film's contributors' individual businesses, their seminars, and books. While
I have no problem with promoting the work of your partners, there are many
potential viewers who may never access the film's real value thanks to the
overall project's growing similarities to the Tony Robbins empire or the
Landmark Forum. Rhonda Byrne and her team must be very careful not to cross that
line, in reality or perception.

The court finds The Secret not guilty, but sternly warns the
producers not to let the message be swallowed by the business. The updating of
these ancient, well-documented concepts for a new generation is beneficial to us
all. Let's ensure the people who will make this world a better place have low
cost, easy access to The Secret. It's something they will watch time and
again, and recommend to friends and family.